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This project seeks to provide evidence for managing urinary tract infection (UTI) using cranberry for an elderly population. Such evidence is important because UTI causes pain and negatively impacts on the quality of life of elderly residents. While there is a growing literature on the use of cranberry for the prevention of UTI, this evidence needs to be further explored within an elderly population specifically. This study will determine if cranberry capsules have an effect on UTI incidence and which particular symptoms and characteristics of bacteriuria it has the greatest effect on.

This project is a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of an exercise intervention aimed at reducing depression amongst chronic stroke sufferers. This study will include a progressive resistance training (PRT) program, i.e., exercising with weights for people who had a stroke within the last six to twelve months. Participants, 18 years of age and over, will be recruited via stroke centres such as the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre, general practices and stroke support groups, and through a media campaign using local newspapers and pamphlets in community venues. People interested in participating will receive participant information and consent form and a brief survey to determine whether they meet the eligibility criteria to participate. Those who meet the threshold for depressive symptoms will undergo an assessment by a psychiatrist, to confirm their mental health status. A project officer will then help them to complete several surveys to determine their current health status. The assessment will take up to two hours and take place at central location with easy access. Participants will have a 50:50 chance of being allocated to attend the PRT program or to be placed on a waiting list. The PRT is suitable for older people who have never done this type of exercise. The program will consist of two one hour sessions per week for ten weeks. The program will be conducted at the YMCA's Hawthorn Aquatic and Leisure Centre, facilitated by staff qualified in exercise supervision for older people. Where necessary, these staff will upskill similar staff at other venues to provide the program, using a standardised protocol. Participants will follow a standardised program of upper and lower limb exercises, tailored according to their abilities. They will pay $5 per session to attend. Assistance with transport will be provided where required. At the end of the ten week program all participants will undertake a follow-up assessment. They will be mailed copies of the surveys from the initial assessment for completion. Another follow-up will occur at six months. This will enable the impact of the exercise upon health status, in particular depression, to be determined. It is anticipated that the intervention will provide chronic stroke patients with depression not only amelioration of their depression, but also improved health and the ability to do daily tasks. It is hoped that the group's level of independence will be improved or maintained. Some may choose to continue to exercise in mainstream community exercise programs to help prevent future health problems. Those who do not meet the threshold for depressive symptoms will be invited to complete the health surveys at three time points (baseline, 10 weeks, 6 months). This will enable us to assess the recovery process over time in those with and without depression. The data will allow us to examine characteristics of the person that influence their recovery path.

OBJECTIVE: Atrophic Papanicolaou (Pap) smears from postmenopausal women may be unsatisfactory for assessment or result in a false-positive diagnosis of a cytological abnormality. We investigated the effect of vaginal estrogen treatment before the Pap test on the odds of an atrophic smear. METHODS: An open-label randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare the proportion of atrophic Pap smears from postmenopausal women assigned to either (1) a regimen of one 25-microg vaginal estradiol tablet inserted nightly for five nights before their Pap test, (2) a single 25-microg vaginal estradiol tablet before the test, or (3) a control group with no previous estrogen administration. All smears were reread and classified as atrophic or nonatrophic at the conclusion of the study by a single cytopathologist who was blinded to the study arms. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-four (94%) of the 164 postmenopausal women who consented to the study were included in the final analysis. Fifty-one women had received the five-night course of tablets, 50 had received one tablet, and 53 were assigned to the group with no previous estrogen use. The odds of an atrophic smear were significantly lower in women who used the five-night estrogen regimen than in women who did not use estrogen. The estimated odds ratio of an atrophic smear in the five-night regimen was 0.01 (95% CI, 0.03-0.26) compared with the no-estrogen control group. Moreover, using one tablet of estrogen had no significant effect on the likelihood of an atrophic smear compared with using none. The odds ratio of an atrophic smear in the single estrogen tablet group was 1.05 (95% CI, 0.48-2.29) compared with the no-estrogen group. CONCLUSIONS: The odds of an atrophic smear are significantly reduced for postmenopausal women who use a five-night regimen of vaginal estrogen before their Pap test.